CommPRO.biz > News > Thursday, May 30, 2013 (Highlights: Advice to the Class of 2013, Sad State of Writing, theIRevolution Continues, Can Apple Still Innovate?, 10 Brands Disappear in 2014, PR is the New SEO)

Thursday, May 30, 2013 (Highlights: Advice to the Class of 2013, Sad State of Writing, theIRevolution Continues, Can Apple Still Innovate?, 10 Brands Disappear in 2014, PR is the New SEO)

Posted on May 30, 2013 in News | Comments Off on Thursday, May 30, 2013 (Highlights: Advice to the Class of 2013, Sad State of Writing, theIRevolution Continues, Can Apple Still Innovate?, 10 Brands Disappear in 2014, PR is the New SEO)

Advice to the Class of 2013: Become an ExplorerBy Amanda Augustine , Job Search Expert for TheLaddersCongratulations, Class of 2013– you’ve made it! Now, it’s on to the next chapter of your lives. It’s a time for new beginnings, mixed with feelings of excitement and anxiety. Some of you may have secured jobs already or are embarking on graduate studies. Others are still searching for the right opportunity. In either case, there’s a lot of uncertainty that comes after graduation.

The Sad State of Written CommunicationBy Brett West, Director of Media Relations, Epic PR GroupI don’t know about you, but nothing irks me more than reading and editing a document riddled with mistakes apparently made by a seven-year-old, only to find the author is a well accomplished executive. Half thoughts, run-ons, misspells, compound sentences, incorrect syntax and inventive vocabulary are things that always get under my fingernails like wood splinters.

theIRevolution Continues…For the Mobile IR ChanneltheIRevolution Goes to Hollywood…It’s been nearly one year since we first introduced theIRapp at the NIRI Annual Conference in Seattle Washington. As we get ready again to attend the most important IR event of the year. (Hollywood, Florida June 9-12, 2013) we’re thinking a lot about its theme: “Building Value.” We introduced theIRapp — and last month theIRappFOLIO — as tools to help …

Social Media IR: Strategy is EverythingFor the Social Media IR ChannelStrategy is everything. This is as true today as it was yesterday.It’s as true in the world of Social Media Investor Relations as it was when we only had what we now call traditional IR. In fact, anyone who thinks every IR goal can be achieved with Social Media alone doesn’t have a strategy. Social Media is an excellent tool for creating communities.

Your Newsflow is Needed to Fight IR Fraud on TwitterBy Bradley H. Smith, Director of Marketing at PR Newswire, for the Agile Engagement ChannelCheck out this short list of people who have identified themselves with “investor relations” in their Twitter profile. See anything funny? This is ridiculous. IR departments seriously need to get into social media JUST to balance out the fraud with the truth. Your IR financial voice is the only thing that will protect …

For Virtual-Currency Cops, Liberty Reserve Was the Easy PartBusinessWeekThe crackdown on Liberty Reserve, a virtual-currency company described by prosecutors Tuesday as a $6 billion money laundering scheme, points to a new focus for banking regulators in the wake of the financial crisis. But the case probably doesn’t point to an easy road forward in authorities’ increasing attempts to bring virtual currencies under their control.

Google Rolling Out Tabbed Inbox for GmailPC MagazineGoogle on Wednesday unveiled a revamped Gmail that features a tabbed inbox to help you prioritize your messages. On the desktop, the tabs will appear atop your Gmail inbox. You can select the categories; in Google’s example, the search giant picked Social, Promotions, and Updates alongside Primary, which is reserved for your most important messages.

Apple CEO Says Game Changers In Development Boost LineupBloombergApple Inc. (AAPL) (AAPL) Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, seeking to quell concerns about the company’s ability to innovate in consumer electronics, said his staff “has several more game changers” in the pipeline. The iPhone maker has “some incredible plans,” Cook said Tuesday in an onstage interview at the D: All Things Digital conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. He singled out television and wearable computing as areas of interest.

Switzerland to Allow Its Banks to Sidestep Secrecy LawsNew York TimesThe Swiss government said on Wednesday that it would allow its banks to disclose information on American clients with hidden accounts, a watershed move intended to help resolve a long-running dispute with the United States over tax evasion.The decision, which comes amid widening scrutiny in Europe of tax havens, is a turning point in what has been an escalating conflict between Switzerland and the United States.

Theater Owners Seek New Rules Shortening Movie Trailers (Exclusive)Hollywood ReporterIn a controversial move, the National Association of Theater Owners is pushing for new marketing rules that include limiting the length of a movie trailer to two minutes — 30 seconds shorter than is the norm. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that NATO’s executive board came up with the proposed new guidelines in an effort to give exhibitors more control over how Hollywood movies are marketed inside of their cinemas. Theater owners, who feel the brunt of complaints from the public, believe trailers are often too long and can give away too much of the plot.

‘Login With Amazon’ Tackles Single Sign-OnPC MagazineTired of remembering a different password for each of your favorite online retailers? Amazon today launched a feature that alleviates that stress.Dubbed Login with Amazon, the new service allows Amazon customers to securely log into participating apps, games, and websites with just one code.

10 Brands That Might Disappear In 2014ConsumeristOur friends over at 24/7 Wall Street make an annual habit of predicting which everyday brands will go out of business or otherwise disappear in the following calendar year. Their predictions are out for 2014, which feels far enough away in retail terms that we need time machines and binoculars to see it from here. But what businesses do they see hurtling toward their doom? Here’s the full list, though you have to click through to see their notes on why.

Wendy’s Last Among Big Burger Chains With Hispanics: Survey RevealsAd Age Digital NextCan the Rojas family make Hispanics more likely to eat at Wendy’s? Whether the fictional family, which is featured in a new Wendy’s Hispanic campaign launched earlier this month, can move the needle remains to be seen. But a new study by market-research firm Placed suggests that the No. 2 burger chain may have an uphill battle compared to its rivals.

How Not To Pitch Your InfographicMarketing LandI love good infographics. And as the person who considers which third-party infographics we run, I appreciate a good pitch, one that demonstrates that someone is aware of what our site is about, what’s appropriate for us and doesn’t take a cookie cutter approach. That’s a good pitch. Here’s a bad one that I received yesterday through the Marketing Land contact form: …

Nike Dropping Livestrong Lines After Holidays 2013MediapostNike is terminating its nine-year merchandising partnership with Livestrong Foundation, the nonprofit organization for people affected by cancer that disgraced bicyclist Lance Armstrong founded in 1997 but is no longer affiliated with, after having earned more than $100 million for the charitable brand and redefined the way corporate sports partnerships operate.

News Corp Unveils Logo of Impaired Publishing UnitThe Wall Street JournalNews Corp. on Tuesday unveiled a friendlier-looking logo for the publishing division as it prepares to split the struggling newspaper and book unit from its TV and movie business by the end of June. The unveiling, at a one-day meeting with investors in New York, followed the company’s recent disclosure to securities regulators that the publishing unit would book an impairment charge of up to $1.4 billion this quarter before being spun off as a separate, publicly traded company.

Fairholme Makes $500 Min Bet on Fannie, Freddie Preferred -CNBCReutersFund manager Bruce Berkowitz’s Fairholme Capital Management is making a big bet on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac preferred shares, CNBC reported on Wednesday.The cable business network said the mutual fund firm has taken a roughly $500 million stake in the preferred shares of the mortgage firms that have been operated by the federal government in a conservatorship since September 2008.

Nasdaq to Pay $10 Million For Botching Facebook IPOThe Los Angeles TimesThe Nasdaq OMX Group will pay $10 million for botching Facebook’s initial public offering last year, a debacle that shook investors’ confidence in Wall Street. Nasdaq’s penalty would be the biggest ever paid by an exchange, said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which faulted the firm’s “poor systems and decision-making” during one of the most-watched IPOs of all time.

Empire State Building to Be Sold to Public in $4.2B IPOABCThe Empire State Building’s shareholders today approved the sale of the New York City landmark to the public in an IPO valued at $4.2 billion, according to a Security and Exchange Commission filing.The decision ended a dispute between two groups of owners of the iconic 102-story tower. One group wanted to keep the building’s ownership just as it had been since 1961, when the Empire State Building was purchased by a syndicate of some 2,800 owners created by Malkin Properties. The other group wanted to roll up the Empire State landmark with 18 other New York area properties into a real estate investment trust, or REIT, and sell shares of it to the public.

Why Consumers in Vietnam Are Calling For a Ban on CokeCampaignCoca-Cola might be famous for spreading messages of joy and peace, but in Vietnam, the world’s largest beverage player is being accused by some of contributing to the suffering of medical patients via tax evasion.

Advertisers Profit By Tracking You. Here’s How To Benefit From Tracking YourselfFast CompanyDigital advertising was a $36.6 billion business last year, and it is driven largely by advertisers’ ability to pinpoint who is most likely to respond to their ads. How do they do that? By keeping tabs on consumers’ behavior. According to an informal survey by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, even back in 2009 80% of online advertising used some form of cookies or online tracking. Meanwhile, data brokers profit by selling information about consumers gathered by stores, the government, and via other publicly available sources.

New York Times Co., Hearst Magazines Introduce Native AdvertisingPoynterThe New York Times Co. and Hearst Magazines are among the latest publishers to introduce advertising presented as editorial content in their mobile and digital spaces. Native advertising is advertising that resembles an article in its host publication but is actually provided by an advertiser or outside company. The Times is using native advertising provided by bike-sharing company Citi Bike in its “things-to-do” app The Scoop.

Millward Brown Taps Rhall As Global CEOMediapostMillward Brown, the WPP-owned ad copy tester and brand and media research company has named Travyn Rhall as global CEO, effective in July, the company has confirmed.

Some Facebook Ads Pulled Over Offensive ContentUSA TodayFacebook is re-evaluating content on its social-network service after two major brands yanked ads that appeared next to photos and posts they deemed offensive. Nissan and U.K.-based Nationwide are among the firms that yanked ads when they appeared adjacent to misogynistic content, the Financial Times reported.

‘Green PR Move': Former EPA Head Lisa P. Jackson Becomes Apple’s Top Environmental AdviserWashington PostFormer Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa P. Jackson will become Apple’s top environmental officer, the company’s CEO Tim Cook announced Tuesday. Cook, who made the announcement at The Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital D11 conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., said Jackson will be reporting directly to him and is “going to be coordinating a lot of this activity across the company.”

The 15 Steps To ‘Power SEO’ (PR IS The New SEO)ForbesI particularly enjoyed Jayson DeMers’ article on the 3 pillars of SEO in 2013 – and I especially add my vote of emphasis to his pillar #3 – Making Friends, Engaging and Sharing Content. In fact, I would go so far as to maintain that public relations, in the form of quality content, is the New SEO.

Report: PR Agencies’ Profitability Up Slightly in 2012PRNews OnlineU.S. PR agency profitability increased to 18.8% of net revenue, compared with 18.6% in 2011, according to an annual survey by management consulting company StevensGouldPincus.The study includes 111 PR agencies, such as APCO Worldwide, Peppercomm and Ruder Finn. It also covers Canadian-based PR agencies.